


Final Fantasy XV: Ebony and Fire

by UnluckyKitty41



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, deals with sorts of mental illness, just an idea that's been floating in my head, like depressed prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-01-16 05:37:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12336531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyKitty41/pseuds/UnluckyKitty41
Summary: When a girl suddenly falls from the sky on their trip to Longwythe the Chocobros are beside themselves. Ignis slams on the breaks just in time and when they get to her they discover that she has a life threatening fever, so without hesitation they scoop her up and bring her with them. But who is this girl? Where did she come from? How did she get here? And how will having a woman in the group effect our band of brothers?





	1. Chapter 1

Final Fantasy XV

Ebony and Fire

Chapter 1

* * *

My eyes flutter open to the sound of muffled arguing voices. I try to hone in but I can't make out the words. My vision is blurry at first, but then it starts to clear.

_Where am I…_

"Look, she's awake!" I try to sit up but something, a hand, pushes me back down by my shoulder. The hand moves from my shoulder to my forehead and seems to feel to see if I have a fever. The hand is cool to the touch and I close my eyes briefly as I welcome the cold. My body seems to be radiating with heat.

_Ugh…I'm so warm…and I feel like I got hit by a bus…_

"Can you hear me?" I open my eyes at the male British voice and look up. The hand disappears and I follow it next to me where a man is sitting. He seems to be in his twenties and is very lean. I look up toward his face and notice his glasses as they refract the light. I nod at him as the glare disappears to reveal two piercing emerald eyes. My breath catches slightly; I've never seen eyes like these. They seem to pierce my very soul, but in a way…they make me feel comfortable…warm. My heart quickens slightly and I can feel my face heat up. I peel myself away from his eyes and take in the rest of him. His hair is tawny, but styled upward; though it doesn't stick directly up. It's just…slicked back…it's…hard to explain, but it looks good on him.  _Makes me wonder how it would look if it was down_ …He's dressed in a purpleish-black leopard print button up shirt that's rolled up to his elbows. Through the collar I can spy a small black skull necklace.  _Well that's odd, that doesn't really fit with what I'm seeing. I wonder if it was a gift_ …He looks at me for a second and then sighs as he pulls a black and silver glove over his hand, it's now that I realize his other one had been gloved the entire time. It seems like he only took one off to feel for a fever. "You were out for quite some time you know, we were all getting rather worried."

_We?_

I pull the comforter up to my chin and look about the room. My eyes stop at the foot of the bed where a group of three boys are standing.  _Well, not boys they seem to be in their twenties_. One boy; well, man, is taller than the other two by a lot and is jacked. His arms are folded and he's in a tank top. I can see his muscles rippling underneath it. There is a chain around his neck that falls to about his chest that connects with some sort of 'X' pendant. It almost reminds me of a rosary. Under the tank seems to be what looks like wing tattoos across his arms. I shudder at the thought of how much pain that must have been _. Woah, ouch…My own tattoo was pretty painful and that is only about the size of my fist. I can't imagine something that big._  I glance up to his face and he waves his hand gently, the hand he waves has a single glove on it, but it's not complete. It looks more like a brace of some sort…or a glove that's only purpose is to protect from calluses, it looks weird. I dig down a little more into the covers, nervous, as I meet his eyes. They're a golden brown and are as equally comforting as they are intimidating. Like I wouldn't wanna piss him off because he could destroy me… He also has a scar that runs across the one that's my right. I cringe again.  _Damn…how did that happen?_ His hair is slicked back, but it's longer than the man to my left's and he seems to have shaved the sides by his ears. He has a bit of a beard as well, but when I look at it I meet his eyes on accident and shift briskly to the next boy.

The boy in the middle is standing with his weight on one foot; his hands are in front of him and are resting lightly on his white belt. He glances from the ceiling down to me and meets my eyes. My breath catches slightly at I see at how blue his eyes are.  _So pretty..._  His features get softer as his mouth peels up into a smile. His smile makes me less nervous and I come out of the blanket a bit. As the light catches his face freckles appear , giving him a sort of cute young look. His hair is blonde and seems to stick up on one side like he went to bed with his hair wet, it makes me smile back. I look him up and down and take in his sense of style. His shirt is black but seems to have a white or silver maze pattern that goes through it. He has a bandanna on his right arm, my left, and his hands are covered by black gloves and a few bracelets. His hands are still resting on his white belt that's looped through black-no I think that's actually leopard print skinny jeans. I look back up to his eyes, seeing as how the end of the bed keeps me from seeing what he has on his feet. His smile fades slightly as a sadness shoots through him, but it's gone just as fast as it came and I can only imagine that it was because of how messed up I must look…

My eyes shift to the boy next to the blonde; this boy has blackish-blue hair that seems to be spiked in the back, and is dressed in all black. Our eyes meet and my heart aches, his eyes are so blue and…they look so sad…so…depressed, so tired. I know that feeling; where something is weighing down on you so much that you're just exhausted and it shows in every aspect of your being…The boy frowns slightly, like he's wondering why I'm staring at him, so I drop his eyes. His black attire seems to be a long sort of short sleeved jacket that reaches down past my view, a t-shirt with a skull pattern around the neck, and pants that seem to be like lounge-ish low-crotch pants…it's hard to actually tell what they are. He folds his arms and shifts his weight to one foot, I notice that one of his hands has a glove that reaches to mid-forearm, it looks padded and the fingers are cut off.  _Is it for blocking?_

I continue to look around the room; I seem to be in some sort of hotel room.  _Okay that's weird…and super not comforting…I don't even know where I am, or even where here is!_  A familiar feeling grips my chest and it gets harder to breathe.

"How is she doin' Iggy?" The brown haired mountain of a man addresses the man next to me in a sort of gruff voice.

_Iggy? Is that seriously his name? That doesn't fit at all…maybe his name is really Ignatius…I guess in that scenario I'd call him Iggy too…_

"I'm not quite sure…but she has obviously regained consciousness and her fever seems to have broken, so that is good news. Other than that I don't feel comfortable examining her until  _She_  gets here…"

_She? That's awfully vague…I wonder who it is._

"Can she talk?" The voice seems to come from the black haired boy; I look at him then to 'Iggy.'

Iggy looks at me puzzled and then to the black haired boy and back. "I'm not sure. Can you say anything, dear?" I look up and into his emerald eyes.

_What do they want me to say? Yes, I can talk, but where the fuck am I? It would be nice to know that…_

"What's your name?" The black haired boy seems to be slightly agitated now.  _What did I do?_  "Where did you come from?" My brain tries to find the answers but there is some sort of block, everything is…fuzzy.

_I…can't remember…how did I get here? I can't even remember what I was doing…_ The harder I try to remember the harder it gets to breathe and the bigger that tightness in my chest gets.

"Dude, chill, let her answer one question at a time." The voice seems to come from blondie, but I can't focus, I can't breathe.

_Where am I? How did I get here? Where is home? Can I even get home? Who are these men? Have they done anything to me while I was unconscious? What will they do once I want to leave? Will they say that because they took care of me that I'm in their debt…where am I?_

The questions pile up and up and the noise of the men talking draws further and further away until it's nothing but muffled voices. I sit up to try to be able to breathe easier, but I can't. I find myself leaning forward gripping my shirt as if it's choking me.  _I can't breathe._ My vision blurs as tears form.  _No, not right now, this can't be happening. I can't fight it. I can't breathe._

"Ignis! Look!"

There seems to be shifting next to me and 'Ignis' kneels on the bed with one hand on my back and tries to look at me in the eyes for some sort of physical ailment, but I know he won't find one.

"What's wrong?" He seems to be nervous, but he's more concerned than anything else. I look at him through blurred vision as I gently begin to rock back and forth as my anxiety tears through me, ripping down all my protective walls so it can claw at my brain. My heart pounds in my chest as it tries to fight the monster gripping it.  _I have to say something; anything._

"I can't breathe." It all comes out as one word, but he seems to understand immediately as the tears fall to the comforter. He snaps his head to the other boys.

"Out now!"

I stare down at the blanket as they all seem to shuffle out and I hear the door close behind them. My sobs come in short bursts and it escalates until I feel like I'm screaming, but there is no sound. I try to calm myself, I try to focus on something and try to shut this down like I've done oh-so many times, but it's too late, the dam has burst and I have to ride it's wave until it's over. I feel the hands of 'Ignis' gently rub my back and he seems to have gathered what's happening.

"What do you want me to do?" His voice is calm and soothing, but it barely scratches the surface. My body is wracked with a monster that is eating away at my mind, destroying me from the inside, in times like these there are only two things that help; mind altering medication…and being held…

_I don't think I can ask him to do that…but this needs to stop, nothing else is working. Can I even speak? My screams are so silent that I'm not sure my voice even works anymore…this fear of nothing, this anxiety has such a tight grip I don't think it will ever let go…All I want is to feel safe…to be held and told that it's okay. Please…just help me…_

I feel pressure on my hand as he seems to take it in his and squeeze it lightly. I look up to him with tear filled eyes and as I try to hold everything in my lip quivers.  _I feel so helpless…_ I see that there is room in the way that he's sitting to just slide into an embrace.  _Ugh I don't want to do this…but I don't have a choice, my brain isn't capable of rational thought right now. Oh forgive me…_

I pull my hand away from him and lean into his chest an place my head so I can hear his heartbeat and wrap my arms around his thin frame, he seems obviously surprised at first but then after a second I feel him softly place his hand on my back and he seems to hold me tightly as he rests his chin on my head.  _I feel like a child who has just woken up from a nightmare…_

"Shhh, you're alright my dear, you're safe now. Nothing can harm you." His voice is soft and melodic; it hits a part in my brain that kick starts the recovery. His embrace is warm and it makes me feel safe as he holds me tight. I breathe him in with a breath and my nose is filled with a mix of coffee and cologne, whatever the cologne is, I like it and I'll have to see later what it is. The coffee smell however, I'm not too big of a fan of, but they blend alright.

I have no idea how long I sit there, wrapped in the arms of a stranger, but eventually my sobs quiet and I am able to quell and shut down the monster in my head, and return it to its cage. My brain is muddled and I'm beyond exhausted, but I manage to let go of him and wipe my tears away.

"I'm sorry you had to see that…I'll be okay now…" My voice is quiet and tired.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He still seems wary and like he's worried I'll break again at any second. I sigh; I'm used to this reaction.

"Yeah…just tired is all…"

"Perhaps you should rest again…" I nod as he moves from the bed back to the chair to give me some room. I lay back down and onto my left side so I can continue to face him.

"I hope I didn't scare them…"

"They'll be fine. Does that happen often?" He seems concerned and leans forward and places his hand on my exposed one, as if still trying to comfort me. It works.

"More than I'd like to admit, yes." I pull the covers over my shoulders a bit more and get comfortable; I can feel myself sliding toward sleep.

"And do you normally deal with it yourself?"

"Sometimes…" I yawn.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get some rest." He goes to stand but I grab his wrist without thinking.

"Hey, um, I-actually I don't know what to call you."  _I think his name is Ignis, but I wanna make sure._

He looks down at me and smiles warmly. "Ignis Scientia is my name, but you may call me Ignis." I nod and drop his wrist. "Did you need anything else?" I snuggle back down.

_I should probably warn him about what happens after…_

"Yeah…normally I sleep for like four hours after this…so you might want to wake me up in two, just so I don't freak anyone out." He nods and chuckles a little but I'm not sure what's so funny.

"I understand. Get some rest, I'll come wake you later." I nod as he leaves the room.

I adjust in the bed until I find its maximum comfort spot and sigh.  _Well that was embarrassing…I hope I didn't freak anyone out. I'm not sure what triggered that one…maybe just that I still don't know where I am or how I got here…or how to get home…but I guess on the bright side I feel a bit safer knowing that there is someone like him in the group…someone who will comfort a complete stranger with no problem…_

As I feel myself slip into the void of sleep one name floats through my thoughts.  _Ignis Scientia…_

               

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

"Wake up my dear." I can hear the milky English accented voice through my sleep and it gently brings me back to consciousness as a gentle hand is placed on my shoulder. Drifting out of a dreamless sleep I roll over onto my other side facing the source of the voice with a groan.

My eyes open slowly and panic sets in as the room appears unfamiliar at first but then I set my sights on those familiar emerald eyes and the panic subsides as his name slips from my tired lips.

"Ignis?" The hand disappears as I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes.

_My body feels like a rock…and I'm all sweaty…I need a shower…bet my hair is a wreck too…_

With the rest of the drowsiness from my nap fading away I can now see that Ignis is sitting on the side of my bed. "Are you feeling any better?" He puts a bare hand to my forehead as he checks for a fever, seeming satisfied after a second he pulls his hand away and re-gloves it.

"I'm a bit stiff, but yeah." I gaze into those eyes once more; they make my heart skip as he smiles gently.

"I'm glad to hear it." He pauses a moment. "Are you hungry?" My stomach growls instantly in response.

_When was the last time I ate…I don't even know…_

"Famished." He raises an eyebrow but smiles.

"Very well." He stands up and claps his hands on his thighs. "Since you are feeling better, why don't you go ahead and brush up. You can leave your current clothes outside the door and I will wash them for you, by the time you get out dinner will be ready." I stare at him in shock.

_He's gonna wash my clothes and make dinner? Oh my god…its dinner time? How long was I out…?_

He seems to read my face. "I can tell you have a lot of questions, but they can wait until after you've eaten." I nod not seeing any way out of this. He looks at me with an unreadable expression. "You've been in the bed for some time; I don't feel comfortable leaving until I know you can walk on your own."

I take the hint and flip the covers over, finally seeing what I'm wearing. I have on my favorite pair of jeans that have turned 'ratty' with time, holes in both knees, threads up an down from where there were strings hanging out and I pulled them all the way through, red paint in some areas, and one of the pant legs, at the bottom, the seam has separated from the leg where my heel is because of years of walking on it. I have my stud belt on as well, the older one though, it's clear that I've had it for a while by the bending and cracking of the leather. Luckily though, it has all its studs. For a top it seems I appeared here in my grey tank top with a low neck. It's like a sports top, and judging by my comfort level, I have on my favorite sports bra. I take a mental note that I thought I saw my favorite hoodie around the room and as I look at the end of the bed, there it is. As I see it I also see my black socked feet.

_Well at lease I'm comfy…but the idea of having Ignis wash my undergarments is making me super uncomfortable._

Ignis clears his throat and I realize that I almost forgot what he wanted me to do. I swing my feet over the side of the bed and place them on the floor, as they touch the cold wood boards they tingle like crazy.

_Man I must have been in bed for a really long time for them to be this bad._

I glance up at him and he smiles, giving me the courage to try to stand.

_I'm not scared; I just don't want to fall flat on my face._

I place both hands on the end of the bed and inch myself forward, I give Ignis one last look and he nods.

_Alright you got this…_

I suddenly push off the bed and into a standing position. I wobble for a second and get my balance. Ignis seems happy because he's smiling; he makes a gesture for me to try to walk. Panic grips me, but he holds his hands out as if he's going to catch me if I fall and it drifts away. I look at the floor and take a step, every things fine until I put my full weight on it. Pain shoots up through my foot and I begin to fall, Ignis comes to my rescue with his hands under my arms. I put my hands on his shoulders and go to speak, but I catch his eyes as his glasses fall to the tip of his nose and my words are lost.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" Luckily he still has his words and I just nod. "Let me help you." He takes one arm and puts it around me and under my arm to hold me weight. He pauses and fixes his glasses, my heart begins to pound. "Ready? One step at a time." I nod and we head toward the door one step at a time.

With each step the tingle in my legs and the pain in my foot goes away. We get half way to the bathroom and I nudge him off because I feel like I can walk by myself. He gently removes himself, but still has a hold of my left hand just in case.

I make the last few steps to the bathroom without a problem and reach into flip the switch, the room illuminates and I turn back to the doorway where Ignis is still standing.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, my dear?" His whole face displays concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, if I feel faint or anything I'll just sit for a bit." He nods.

"Alright, just remember to put your clothes outside the door and don't hesitate to call if you need anything." I nod

_Yeah okay, there's no way I'm gonna call for you to come help me when I'm butt ass naked…_

_"_ Okay I will." I back up into the bathroom and close the door before leaning on it and sighing.

_Well that was interesting…_ I pull my long black hair over to my nose and sniff, scrunching my nose at the slight smell and greasy feel.  _Yeah…I need a shower._

I sigh again and walk over to the shower, it's a tub shower with a curtain so the handle is simple; I just have to turn the one to the temp I want between cold and hot. No messing with two to three different turn-able handles just to get piss warm water…or messing with two and coming up with the wrong combination that freezes me…

I reach in and turn the handle three quarters to the top, closer to hot. I like my showers to be just hot enough to where I come out a bit red otherwise I'm freezing through the whole thing. Once the water starts to come out of the faucet I pull the little lever that turns it to the shower head and go over toward the door and begin to strip.

I can see myself in the mirror and I sigh at my appearance; porcelain skin, average build with too wide hips, creating the ever annoying 'love handles' as I call them. My stomach showing just a small pouch of pudge that I've never quite been able to get rid of but can hide easily until I sit down. Less than 'B' breasts that frustrate the ever living crap out of me and will never give me the look of normal cleavage, but an ass that as I've been told, more than makes up for it, but isn't too big. I sigh slightly before catching my left shoulder tattoo in the mirror a memory bubbles up from the abys; the phoenix I got for my birthday, representing all the shit I went through, and survived, even though it felt easier to give up at the time. "A phoenix rises from its ashes and begins a new…"

I bundle all my clothes and make sure that my bra and underwear are hidden in the mess before opening the door a crack and sliding the bundle out into the other room. My heart skips a beat as someone on the other side grabs them and takes them away.

_That had better had been Ignis…_ I run a hand through my greasy hair, ignoring the mirror showing me that my fears about how messy it is were valid, before walking back to the shower. Before doing anything I take off my dragon mood necklace and carefully set it on the vanity. After, I put my hand in the stream to gauge the temperature; it seems warm enough to my hand so I step over the tub side and into the water.

The water is warm, very warm, but it's not too warm where I have to turn it down. After a few minutes of facing the stream and enjoying its heat, I turn and let it run through my hair. All the aches and pains which I had previously had that were too minor to even mention, melt away as the warmth relaxes me. I run my hands through my hair pushing my bangs up to get them wet. When I feel as though my hair is fully soaked through I look around the shower for shampoo, conditioner and whatever else I might need to begin washing the grime from my body.

. . .

I'm not sure how long I take, but I enjoy the crap out of it. The warmth of the water, the relaxing massage the shower head gave my shoulders, the smell of the, what I assume by the size, hotel soap samples, and just watching the dirt come off me, everything about it just made me feel refreshed. My foot steps onto the soft rug, soaking that particular spot, as I reach for my towel. Ignis had placed one on the toilet seat ahead of time and I wrap it around my shoulders before sitting in its place. I take this time to relax and finally ponder my situation, feeling confident that anything I think about can't get me worked up enough to have a panic attack in this state.

_So at least this place has a nice hotel with good water pressure…wherever here is. I honestly don't remember how I got here…I can barely remember my damn name…I wonder if I hit my head. I remember bits and pieces of home…just little things, like I had a house, and cats…every time I try to imagine them, my heart aches. I can't remember how many or what all of them looked like, but it feels wrong to say just one. I know that those clothes I gave to Ignis to wash are my favorite because I feel this comfortable feeling and slight attachment…especially with the dragon necklace…_

I eye it from my spot on the toilet an a need to put it on overtakes me so I stand and walk over to the vanity. With the towel around my shoulders it's impossible to put it on without the towel falling off so I wrap it around my body under my arms before reaching for the string. The origin of the necklace still eludes me, but the feeling I get when I look at it tells me it's very important. It has a double knotted adjustable string on it so after I pull it over my head I pull it tight enough so it sits just on my breastbone under my trachea. I sigh as the mood stone turns to a deep blue, signaling that I'm relaxed.

_I wish I knew why I can only remember certain things…It's crazy to think there is selective amnesia…what could be keeping me from remembering…a barrier? Wait a minute…something about this place is familiar…the faces of those boys, Ignis, the layout of the hotel room…where do I know it from?_ I try to dig deep, but with come up with nothing but a headache.

A light sigh escapes me as a light rapping interrupts my thoughts. Slightly startled I rise in my towel and make my way to the bathroom door, whoever is on the other side knocks again just before I open it a crack.

"Yeah?" To my surprise, it's blondie. His face goes red with embarrassment and he avoids my eyes as he seems to realize that I'm in just my towel.

"Oh, um hi…Ignis told me to bring you your clothes…they're uh, clean now." He pulls a tote bag up to eye level and I peer inside to see all my clothes neatly folded within.

"Oh wow, that was quick." I reach one hand out and carefully take the bag. "Thanks for bringing em over…um." It occurs to me that I never got his name.  _I can't keep calling him Blondie…_

"Prompto. I'm…uh…Prompto." I smile at him and his blush intensifies.

"Thanks Prompto, where is Ignis anyway?" I'm still leaning with my head out of the bathroom door, but all the warm air is escaping so I have to get back in there soon, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.

"Oh!" He looks up and into my eyes, embarrassment forgotten. "He's in the other hotel room making dinner, he said that he would be done by the time you got out and would bring it over here for you." He smiles and I wonder what Ignis could be making. My stomach growls at the thought and I nod at Prompto and lift the bag slightly.

"Okay, well I better get these on; I'm starting to get cold." The blush returns and he nods as I retreat behind the bathroom door and peer back into the bag.

I dig a little in the bag for a minute and find that not only is everything folded but Ignis was kind enough to hide my bra and underwear under my shirt so poor Prompto wouldn't see them. I can feel my face redden in embarrassment as reality hits me.

_Oh my god! Ignis saw and folded my underwear!_

I quickly take everything out of the bag and set it on the closed toilet seat before lifting up my folded underwear by the elastic so it unfolds.

_I'm completely mortified right now. What did he think of this old dark grey thing? My favorite pair no doubt, but…was he surprised? Was he expecting something more girly with lace? Did he even give it a thought or just throw it into a washer with the rest of my clothes and ignore it?_

With my towel still around my chest I carefully slide into my underwear, happy to realize that it's fresh from the dryer and still warm. I turn back to the toilet seat and pick up my old sports bra by the strap and let it unfold only to be mortified once again because the little pads inside have been fixed and set.

_Oh my god…every time I wash this thing I have to pull out those damn things and fix them, but Ignis…he not only washed them but fixed it for me…I'm not sure whether he's thoughtful or creepy._ Suddenly his soft face and peaceful eyes pop into my head and my fear melts away slightly only to be replaced by a quickening pulse. I sigh as I stare at it dangling from my hand.  _What about this…it's old and comfy as all hell, but I doubt he expected it…probably thought I'd be in something lacy…the damn size is on here too…does he think I'm small?_ My heart sinks slightly.  _Wait a minute! Why am I thinking about this stuff? I don't even know this man, and I'm talking like I want to get in his pants…what is wrong with me._

I sigh and shake all the naughty thoughts from my head as I drop the towel and pull the bra on over my head before glancing in the mirror.

_Besides…even if I did like him like that, which I don't, I bet my feelings wouldn't be reciprocated…someone like him would never like someone like me._

I sigh and run a hand through my wet hair before pulling on the rest of my clothes and putting my hair up in my towel. Then with one last look at the mirror I head out into the other room.

. . .

When I walk out into the room Prompto is waiting for me, sitting on the couch fiddling with his phone. It's now that I realize the layout of the room is different that I first had seen when I woke up. There are actually two beds and the one I had been in is the closest to the door. There is a small kitchen with a table and chairs, a couch, and small TV too. The hotel room seems to be like a small apartment. Something catches my eye between the beds and as I look closer there seem to be multiple travel bags lying about the room.

_Wonder if the guys were sleeping here before I showed up._

I glance back to Prompto on the couch; it seems someone had previously been sleeping there too. He stands as he finally looks up from his phone and notices me.

"Hey." I smile to him as he gets closer, a shit eating grin beginning to take the place of his smile.

"Heyaz." He starts to giggle slightly, and it doesn't take long for me to realize that he's laughing at the towel on my head so I pull it off and drape it over my shoulders so the water doesn't soak my shirt.

"Wanna borrow a hair dryer?" I grimace at the thought of what my hair normally looks like if I don't blow dry it and stick my hands in my back pockets.

"Yeah…that...uh…would be great." Prompto chuckles lightly and walks over to one of the bags and fishes through it for a sec before pulling out a black, super high end hair dryer _._

_I'm kinda surprised that a group of guys would have something so…nice? No that's not the word…something so expensive for doing their hair I guess._

I must be making some sort of face 'cause he seems to know exactly what I'm thinking. "This one is Iggy's, but I got one too." He pauses and that shit eating grin returns. "It takes a lot to get this pretty you know." I start laughing immediately and he makes his way past me and into the bathroom where he plugs it in. He quickly shows me how it works gives me a brush from Iggy's bag, apparently, and then I'm on my own.

. . .

It takes a few minutes, but soon my hair is dry and fluffy as ever. I check the mirror and make sure that my bangs don't look stupid before strolling out into the other room where Prompto is sitting back on the couch phone in his hand, only this time he looks up immediately and waves.

"Heeyyy, you clean up good." He stands and puts his phone away, but I just stop in my tracks and can feel it as the blush makes its way to my face.

"Ahh…thanks, Prompto." I begin to twirl my long black hair with my finger as an uncomfortable blanket of silence descends on us, it seems neither one of us know what to say.

_Well…this is awkward…_

Suddenly the door swings open and Ignis walks in carrying a tray of food. The smell hits my nose and my stomach growls painfully as my mouth begins to salivate.

"Ah, it seems my timing was correct, I hope you're hungry." He walks into the kitchen and I follow him without really meaning to.

"Oh man that smells amazing, what is it?" He turns to me and smiles, my heart skips as I catch his eyes.

"This would be a Mother and Child Rice Bowl." My heart and stomach drops as he speaks.

"A what now?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

"Ah, it seems my timing was correct, I hope we're hungry."

"Oh man, that smells amazing, what is it?"

"This; would be a Mother and Child Rice Bowl."

"A what now?"

. . .

Ignis smiles as he gets plates down from the cabinets and set the table. Prompto goes on a head of me and takes a seat while I hang back in the doorway; Ignis notices immediately.

"Is there something wrong, my dear?" Concern crosses his face as he takes a step toward me.

"No, um…I'm fine." I shake my head and head towards them. "But…uh…what is it made with that made the creator call it that…"

As I walk into the kitchen I notice how from here you can't see the front door, so if anyone were to come in, you wouldn't see them until the last minute.

"Yes, now that you mention it, the name is a bit boarish, but this dish is made with a Chickatrice leg, Birdbeast egg, and Saxham rice." He smiles at me, seeming pleased with himself.

_Chickatrice leg? Birdbeast egg? Saxham rice? What the hell is he talking about?_

As Ignis begins to serve Prompto I reach the table and pop a squat, seeing exactly what he's talking about. The realization of what those words translate into for me his so hard I start to laugh at myself, that sick feeling fading away.

_Oh, ha-ha! It's just chicken and scrambled eggs on top of rice! I was scared there for a minute. This place sure does have some weird names for stuff._

Ignis drops a rather small portion onto my plate, my stomach growls in response. "I want you to try this much first, if you can hold it down you may help yourself to more." I stare up at him, detecting a sort of parental instinct. It strikes me as odd.

_It's like he just turned into my mother…_

"Un, okay Ignis." A small grin forms on his face and he turns and heads toward the door.

"I'm going to fetch Gladiolus and Noct; I'll be back momentarily. Prompto I trust you'll look after her."

"You got it Iggy."

As Ignis strolls past me I follow him with my eyes, catching a glimpse of how tight his shirt actually is from behind. I watch the way it stretches over his shoulders and lithe frame, as if it was tailored just perfectly and tight enough to be able to make out just a bit of muscle. His dark purple shirt sleeves are still rolled up but I now I see that he's tucked it into his slim slacks. Naturally my eyes travel down and I can't help but watch him gracefully walk away.

"See something you like?" Prompto's whisper snaps me out of it and I embarrassingly turn back around.

"What? Ah...now I was just curious about where he was going…" I look down at the rice, chicken, and egg goop on my plate, pick up the spoon beside it, and start to pick at it.

_Man that was a shitty cover…I didn't mean to check him out…that was so embarrassing…_

"Yeah, mhm." Prompto grins as he continues to shovel food in his face. I sigh before gently putting a spoonful into my mouth.

A familiar flavor bursts over my tongue and every taste bud aches with happiness. The food is so good that even my jaw begins to ache, causing my eyes to close and my hand to involuntarily rise and cradle my face, I can hear Prompto chuckle.

"It's good isn't it? Ignis is the best cook. This is actually one of Nocts faves, I like it too, but I like Iggy's spicy stuff even more. Then again there isn't really anything that Iggy makes that I don't like…except the Tofu…I hate the Tofu." He shudders slightly causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah this is really good actually." I eat and eat and eat and it seems as though nothing can quell my ravenous hunger. Every few spoonfuls I take a sip of whatever fruit-juice-esque concoction they gave me.

. . .

Suddenly the door opens and voices drift into the Kitchen.

"Sorry I'm late, Iggy. I came as fast as I could, but I was taking care of some daemons over by Ravatoh. Is she awake?"

_Oh, a female voice…something feels familiar about it though…I just can't place it._

"It's alright. She actually woke up on her own and was even able to bathe by herself. Physically she seems fine aside from being sore, but I'm afraid mentally she's a bit unwell. She had a minor panic attack upon awakening the first time, and while that's to be expected after waking up in a strange place, her memory doesn't seem to be intact so I have yet to questioned her." There is an undertone of sadness in his voice.

"I see…at least she's okay physically, but memory loss, that's rough…Where is she now?"

"In the Kitchen with Prompto, eating."

I'm about to put another spoonful into my mouth as both Ignis and the mystery woman round the corner, my eyes travel over to them and I catch hers first, she freezes and I pause with the spoon just inches from my face. Her eyes go wide and something begins to stir in the back of my mind.

_I know that face…_

"You…" The word falls from her mouth with confusion and shock, then instantly changes to anger.

I stare for one more second as my brain finally clicks and my spoon clatters to my plate.

"Samn?!" Memories come flooding back in waves; I cry out in agony as my hands jump to cradle my skull. Ignis rushes to my side and I hear Prompto's chair skitter across the floor as he too must just to his feet. I attempt to stand up, to reach her, but I sink to my knees in a useless heap as another wave comes crashing through me. I can only watch through teary eyes as my creation turns on her heels and angrily storms off.

Somehow Ignis manages to get me to my feet and despite the piercing pain in my skull and his urging for me to sit back down; I manage to unsteadily chase after her out into the street.

"Samn, wait! Please!" She stops short and furiously snaps around, I damn near trip trying to stop.

"What?!" Her tone is sharp and her face twisted in anger, something in the back of my mind tells me this isn't like her at all.

_Why is she so angry with me?_

"Why are you so angry? What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be away at college?" My breathing has become heavy as I struggle with the pain, but I try my best to hang in there.

"I was! But now, because of you I'm stuck here!" I keel over slightly and press my palms into my knees to keep me standing as the pain intensifies beyond my tolerance. Her voice is loud enough for everyone to hear and through the splitting pain a thought bubbles up in the form of realization.

"You don't remember any of this…" My voice is quiet as it slips out.

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" She raises her voice again causing another thunderbolt of agony.

_Ugh my fucking head…gotta get her to quiet down…_

"Please, calm down…I'm not sure why, but at the end of this adventure…you'll have no memory of ever being here…" I squint, trying to see through the pain and remain in the realm of the conscious, but I can tell that I'm going to lose this fight.

_I know who I am now…I know what I was working on back home; her final adventure, her love story, her tragedy…I remember…writing about how upset she was because she couldn't summon the Keyblade and she thought it has forsaken her…_

"I don't remember a whole adventure?!" She glances around, realizing the scene she's been causing and quiets down. "That's impossible, not even Castle Oblivion could take my memories away…" She trails off and my chest tightens.

_This woman, my creation…I've caused you so much pain…I'm so sorry…you have every right to hate me._

"I'm just as confused as you are…I remember stuff from home but I don't even know how I got here." I pause as my vision begins to tunnel from the excruciating pain. "But I need to know…how old are you and can you still summon the Keyblade?" Her eyebrow raises slightly as she folds her arms.

"Um…20…and yeah, I've been here about a week…had to take a job as a hunter to afford food. I use the Keyblade to slay the daemons"

_She's 20…good…after this her life takes a turn for the better…and she can still summon the Keyblade so she's safe…for now…_

I'm relieved that I relax causing everything around me to blur and tunnel. The last thing I see before the darkness overtakes me is her horror filled face and the boys running toward us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all the people who left Kudos for me, I was starting to think that no one liked this story but getting those notifications really boosted my confidence and made me want to write more. I hope you enjoyed and are starting to get into it because of all the mystery :) Drop a comment if you feel like it or have questions, or some follow me on Tumblr. See ya next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

My eyes flutter open to the sight of the familiar hotel room; my head pulsates with an agonizing pain. I groan as I brush my unruly bangs out of my eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." I follow the sound of the familiar voice over to a chair that is beside me, and sitting in that chair is someone I recognize immediately.

_Samn…_

I sit up slowly, my skull still splitting. "Ugh, what the hell happened? I feel like I got hit by a truck again…"  _That came out wrong…I wasn't struck the first time…at least I don't think I was. I think I'd remember if I was run over…right?_

"You collapsed…in the middle of the road." I take a better look at her as my vision seems to clear of its sleepiness could. She  _is_  in the chair, but her jacket is off and is hanging on the back of it. She looks tired…and I can spot the remains of old battle wounds across her arms.

_Those must be from here…I never wrote her with any scars, which means, they'll heal fine._

"I hit my head didn't I?" I rub the back of my head lightly, there's a bump there and it stings like a son of a bitch.

"Yep, and then you were out like a light…or maybe you were out before you hit the ground. Either way it doesn't matter, what matters is you passed out."

"How long was I out?" I sigh and adjust so I'm sitting cross-legged beneath the blanket. Her face slacks in sadness for a minute.

"Couple hours actually; it's pretty late…about eleven or so." My eyes widen in surprise.

_Holy shit…first I was unconscious when I got here…then I ate dinner only to walk outside and pass out for a few more hours…_

I glance down at my palms, they shake slightly. Samn shifts in her chair and I glance back up. "What is it?"

"We…need to talk…"

"About?"  _I kinda know where this is going…_

"Everything…like; what's your name gonna be here? Where are you going to say you came from? Basically stuff that helps to protect world order. If I have to do it then so do you." I nod slightly.

_Since they've already met her I can't use my real name…that would be confusing…and if I try to tell them I'm from Earth they'll ask me about it and that would lead to way too much fourth wall and world order breaking bullshit…_

"Hey." She gathers my attention again. "Under no circumstances are you to meddle in any of this world's affairs either. No matter what these boys are destined to do you can't try to change the future in any way. It's bad enough I'm stuck here trying not to fuck shit up, but two outlanders? If we're not careful this could get messy real quick. So because neither one of us belongs here, we can only observe…" I stare at here for a moment until laughter bubbles up and I can't contain it. "This isn't a laughing matter! What is it about worldly dimensional paradox destruction that seems funny to you?!"

"It's not, but  _you_  are. You're whole damn life as a Keyblade Bearer has just been you meddling in one world after another and now you're telling me to be careful and observe? It's like the pot calling the kettle black." Her face sours immediately.

"Yeah and whose fault is that?! I didn't choose this life; it grabbed me by the ankles and sucked me into a pit of darkness." Her sour turns pouty.

 _I know_   _it's my fault…and I'm sorry…but you don't know this world the way I do…you don't know it's tragedy…and if my being here can help soften the blow or comfort these boys for even a second…I'll gladly say in the darkness for ten years…_

"Yeah…I know…" I sigh as every memory of this place rises up reminding me how broken it made me.

_This is all…just a game…isn't it?_

There's a knock on the door which startles both of us. Samn glances at me, but then regains composure and stands. "Uh…come in?"

I listen closely as the door opens with a creak and two pairs of shoes clack along the floorboards. I watch the entryway as two familiar figures come around the corner, making me break into a smile.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake." Ignis' lithe form strolls gracefully across the floor to my bedside before lightly sitting on the end of my bed.

"You fell pretty hard. We were really worried about ya." Prompto had come in behind Iggy but was now sitting on the couch on the far wall.

"Yeah sorry 'bout that." I can already feel my face heating up with embarrassment.

"How are you feeling?" Iggy's smooth accented voice causes me to look up at him and I get trapped in his emerald eyes, the embarrassment melts away.

"I'm alright, my head just hurts…" He nods, looking concerned.

"I see…are you perhaps hungry at all? You didn't eat much before you ran outside." I shake my head 'no' "Thirsty?"

"No thanks, I'm fine, really." I catch Prompto yawning out of the corner of my eye. "Since it's so late maybe you should go to sleep, you guys seem tired." He stretches his arms above his head and stands.

"Yeah probably, but I wanted to make sure you were okay before I hit the hay." He makes his way over to Samn and rests his hands on his belt while he leans on one foot. It seems to be his default resting position.

"That's really nice of you Prom, thanks." Calling him by his nickname takes him by surprise and a hint of blush dusts over his already freckled face.

_Oops…I didn't mean to call him Prom…it just kinda slipped out…I'll have to be more careful._

An awkward blanket of silence befalls the room as no one seems to know what else to say. I sit there for a minute and attempt to break it.

"Well…as you can see, aside from a bit of a headache, I'm fine so you can all go to bed."

Ignis frowns slightly and turns to Samn who is now leaning back in the chair. "Will you be staying with us tonight?" She sighs and nods before rocking herself up to her feet and stretching.

"If that's alright with you; with it being so late I'd rather not risk the daemons on the road or try to camp out."

"You're welcome to this room then. Prompto and I can figure out sleeping arrangements in the other room." Samn walks over to Ignis, who is still on the edge of the bed and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Iggy. I just gotta go out to my truck and grab my bag." She throws me a look that only I can translate as, 'Don't-fuck-up', and leaves. Prompto looks up from his phone game abruptly.

"That reminds me! Iggy I can't believe we both forgot!" He sticks his phone in his back pocket and walks over to the other side of the extra bed and bends down to pick something up out of my view. "When we found you, this wasn't too far away." Prom swings around and my breath catches in my throat.

"My bag!" I reach out for it with grabby hands as he walks over to me, dropping it in the place where Ignis had previously been. Once Samn had left he had taken her chair.

"It was really weird cause you came through and then a few seconds after so did this bag." I pull it closer to me and am about to unzip a pocket when my brain catches up to what he actually said.

"Came through?" I look from Prom to Iggy.  _What does he mean 'came through'?_

"My apologies; with you being asleep for so long, we haven't had the time or opportunity to tell you how we came to find you." Concern coats his face as if remembering it hurts him in some way, but our eyes meet and the look disappears. "Care to hear the story?" I nod slowly and glance quick to Prompto who is back to his default, Ignis takes a deep breath.

"We were on our way to Galdin Quay from Hammerhead and I was the driver, when all of a sudden a blue light appears and like lightning, it shoots across the sky, quite frankly I was reminded of how Noctis warps. We all were entranced with it, we watches as it shot in a random manner until finally it stopped and you fell out of it. I slowed down and watched as you slowly drifted to the ground. You actually landed on your feet, but then I had to slam on the brakes because from your feet you collapsed into the road. Had I not stopped, I surely would have hit you. After that we all got out and rushed to your aid, you appeared battered, like you had lost a fight, but you were sleeping. It wasn't until I tried to wake you that we realized you were unconscious; then I felt your forehead and realized you were burning up." He pauses giving Prompto the chance to jump in.

"Yeah, it was pretty scary to be honest. Once we realized how sick you actually were Iggy scooped you up and rushed you over to the Regalia so he could use some restoratives and try to get your fever down. He wouldn't let any of us touch you. He made us search the area for any other people or belongings and that's when we found your bag."

_I fell…from the sky in a lightning bolt…?_

"So you're telling me I fell out of the sky?" I glance between the two men and Ignis pushes up his glasses.

"Yep!" Prompto is obviously tired but is still enthusiastic about the story.

"Wow…" I glance down at my old black  _JanSport_  backpack, with its' ripped off label that I had replaced with a Batman logo patch along with a few other patches and a few buttons. "You guys didn't go through it, did you?"

"What kind of gentlemen would we be if we did?" A small smile creeps across Ignis' lips; I watch them for a moment before turning to unzip my bag.

"Oh wait!" I snap my head to Prompto. "We didn't look through your bag, but you had some sort of phone in your back pocket and I did put it in one of the bags pockets."

_My phone?!_

"Which one?" He points to the second from the front; this bag in particular has about 4 or 5 total pockets.  _I hope by opening it he didn't see anything that could get me into trouble…the outside patches and buttons are only references to the original work and might crack the fourth wall with questions, but it could still be saved…but if they say anything inside…that would probably blow the wall apart…_

"I like your patches by the way." I look up at Prom and smile before pulling out my iPhone 6.

 _Well good news is, the screen didn't crack when I fell…_  I click the 'home' button and it lights up.

' **No Service'**

 _Not really sure why I expected anything else…I'm literally in a different world, different dimension…_ I sigh then see my next problem.

' **50% battery'**

 _Shit…this won't last long at all…and I doubt they have iPhone chargers in this dimension…_ I dig around a little.  _But come to think of it…I think I have one in here somewhere…_  I continue digging and pull out my cord; it's the USB. I dig and dig for my little power brick, but it's missing. I sigh, giving up. Prompto notices and looks at me curiously.

"Something wrong? Did it survive?" I turn slightly so the phone is out of view.  _I should be careful…they might not have this type of technology in this dimension._

"Yeah, it survived, but it's at 50% and I have a charger, but it's only the USB…my little power brick is missing." I sigh, but his face lights up. "What…?"

"Y'know I think I might have an extra." Before I can even say 'thanks', the little Chocobo is already running out the door. I look back at Ignis who just adjusts his glasses and shrugs.

"So now that we're alone we have some things to discuss." He stares at me with piercing green eyes, my heart plummets and I feel the color drain from my face.

_Did I do something wrong? Is he gonna tell me I can't stay anymore? This isn't like him, he looks so scary…_

His face softens as he senses my fear. "My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you, it's just late…" He pushes his glasses up and sighs.

"It's cool…" My voice is soft as I try to calm down. The door opens and my head snaps to the entrance. I expect it to be Prompto, but Samn comes around the corner with a huge duffel bag slung over her shoulder and a big pillow under her other arm.

"I just almost literally ran into Prompto outside, he seemed more excited than usual…what happened?" I shrug as she makes her way across the room.

"He went to go get me a USB power brick for my phone."

"Your phone? Since when do you have a phone?" She throws her bag down and it bounces on the bed, I cringe slightly, but look back up at her.

"Since Prom remembered I came here with my own bag…" A frown crosses her face.

_If I could write her thoughts it'd prolly be something along the lines of 'Be careful, if your bag falls into the wrong hands we're all fucked.' She's prolly thinking the same thing about my phone…_

She seems like she's about to say something when the door opens again, this time it is Prom. He walks into the room and tosses something at me. I barely have time to react and end up juggling it a little as I try to catch it. I look down and it's a little bright green cube.

"Thanks Prom."

"No prob…uh…do you remember your name yet?" He frowns when he realizes he doesn't know what to call me.

_Oh shit! What do I say? I can't give them my real name, can I? What about a fake one? An alias…I have a lot of those don't I? Let's see…Sam Silverfield? No…Julius Carter? No…what about Willow? No…ah shit…I'm taking too long to answer!_

"No…no I haven't."  _I can't believe I just lied to them…_

"Oh! Um…that's okay. I'm sure you'll remember it soon." Prom awkwardly feigns confidence as Samn finishes making her bed.

"Alright boys, out with you. I'm exhausted from driving all the way here after my hunt and Little-Miss-Amnesiac here needs to get on a normal sleeping schedule." I glare at her as she puts her hands on her hips.

"Alright. Night girlies." Proms normal excitement returns and I smile at him calling us 'girlies'. He puts two fingers to his forehead and gives us a half ass salute before heading to the door. Iggy stands slowly from the chair and adjusts his specs once more.

"Don't hesitate to knock on our door if you need me. I'm a light sleeper, and probably the only one who will wake up." He sighs, seeming exhausted as well.

"Okay Iggy." I smile up at him and he seems to…blush… _what is that?_

"Don't worry, she's safe with me." It takes every ounce of my being not to roll my eyes at Samn.

_Yeah, okay._

Ignis nods. "Alright, sleep well. Goodnight all." And with that he leaves me and my creation alone.

Awkward seconds pass after the door clicks, but then she gets up and decides to lock it. When she returns she drops herself on the bed with a huff and sprawls out on her back with her arms under her head.

"Sooo…" I start, but have nothing really to say.

"Ugh it's so nice to not have to sleep on the hard ass ground…and tomorrow I'll actually be able to take a hot shower, not a camper shower…" She seems generally happy with her current situation but after a second her face goes stone. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how dangerous the contents of your bag are. Notebooks, sketchpads, doesn't matter what it is; anything that represents me or any place that isn't here that you didn't draw right now, is a danger. All of it is dangerous and could cause some sort of paradox or flux…" I sigh, well aware of the consequences.

_If I accidently spill the beans on anything for Samn or accidently call Ignis 'Specs' before the time is right, the boys might catch on…or become suspicious._

"Also Ignis didn't seem to believe that you can remember my name, but not your own. Nice job on that by the way oh mighty-creator, you could have picked literally any name."

 _Part of me knows she's only teasing…but the way she says it…just hurts._ "Please don't…"

"Fine, fine; but you'll have to come up with a name for yourself at some point. Not to mention that since there's no way home for either of us, you'll have to learn how to fight, so you can go on hunts and earn Gil of your own. Don't worry though, I'll stick around long enough for you to get settled in and then I gotta go back to my other jobs."

_I'm totally worried…_

"I can't believe you're going to leave me alone with them." She turns her head, but her hands are still behind it, she seems surprised.

"Well…yeah…to be honest there's no safer place than with them. It'll be dangerous, sure, but they protect each other with their lives, I'm sure they'll do the same for you."

"But what about you? You'll be alone." She laughs at me.

"Are you worried about me? Well don't be, you already said that I don't remember this adventure, and while not remembering is gonna suck, it also means that I survive. I'm not worried, but I'm not gonna go crazy either; I'll be careful." I nod and yawn loudly. She smiles before rolling on her side to face me, holding her head in her hand. "C'mon, let's go to sleep."

She reaches over to the bedside table between us and turns off the lamp that sits there. I place my bag on the floor, without checking any other pockets and lie down myself.

"G'night Samn."

"G'night."

IU stare up into the darkness as a familiar feeling rises within me. "Hey, Samn?"

"Hmm?" Her voice tells me she's already half asleep, but my chest tightens and I need to say what I'm thinking.

"I'm so sorry…for everything."

"Mmhmm…"

Without feeling even the slightest bit better I roll over facing away from her and hug my knees to my chest, fighting everything inside me down while I anxiously await sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who left me Kudos ^^ <3 Makes my day when I get the email telling me. Now how about them comments? ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

 

_It's dark, so very dark…I don't know where I am…where am I? I was sleeping in the Motel bed, but now…nothing. Just the darkness. Are my eyes closed? No…they're wide open…something's wrong…I-I can't move my hands…_

I struggle to move, but something that feels like cold iron has a death grip around my wrists. I can feel that familiar feeling rising from the bottom of the bottle I'm always so good at keeping closed. I try to push it back down, suffocate the anxiety that is always suffocating me.

_It's okay, you're fine, maybe you can move your legs._

I try to kick out into the darkness, but I'm met with the same cold metal wrapped around my ankles. With every movement the metal scrapes against my bare skin and I wince in pain. It seems that I'm in less clothes than I was before; back at the Motel I was wearing my jeans and t-shirt, but now I seem to be in some sort of sports bra and spandex shorts…The material is snug to my body, but I'm so cold, and the metal is starting to bruise and cut my skin. My breathing becomes erratic against my will as the realization of restraint becomes prevalent. The bottle is beginning to come undone, feelings of dread and anxiety are pouring out, my eyes are tearing up, but from the pain of the shackles or the anxiety I don't know.

_C'mon gotta stay focused, gotta get outta here._

"Ignis?! Samn?! Gladio?! Prompto?! Noct?! Is anyone there?! Somebody?!" I scream my friend's names out into the pitch dark, loosing my cool with every passing second. The silence around me is deafening and swallows every sound, leaving me screaming silently; the darkness holds me with its death grip, terrified in the cold.

Something inside me snaps and I shake violently against my restraints, but they remain tightly bound, and I've nothing to show but blood and bruising. With my hope dwindling I scream out in agony, the monster let loose from its bottle prison.

"Somebody help me! Is anyone there?! Anybody?!"

My heart pounds as terror circulates my entire existence, my throat begins to hurt from screaming. I can feel blood run down my arm from my wrists, my ankles raw. My tears feel like acid as they run down my face. With my body wracked with anxiety and pain and no hope of rescue I hand my head low.

_There's no one here, no one can hear me…not Samn, not Ignis…not even Prompto…_

Suddenly light illuminates the area in front of me and I shut my eyes to shield them from it. I hear movement from that area and open them slowly to see the silhouette of a man in the center of the light; with the shape it's making it must be a door. The shape of the man, the way his clothes fall, it all seems eerily familiar, but so far, I haven't been able to place it.

"Did you need something dear?"

_NO! NO! Not that voice! Not him! Anyone but him!_

I try to struggle against my bonds again, desperate to get free. The silhouette takes off it's hat and more black shadows pour into the room until I'm completely surrounded.

"I'm sorry dear, but I'm going to have to ask you to take a little nap. Can't have you waking everyone, now can I?" I continue to scream and struggle as one of the other shadows puts a rag to my face. I try to move, try to hold my breath, but…everything…is going…black…

. . .

_It's dark again…the monsters seem to be gone…but where am I?_

I crack open one eye, to investigate my surroundings, but my eye is puffy like I got hit in the face. My head pounds, my lungs struggle to gather air; I try to move but cry out in pain as my ribs pulse with agonizing pain. I can make out the room, although barely. Everything is blurry, and spinning, but it's a familiar sight.

_I think I'm in Insomnia's throne room…_

"There she is!" A familiar voice floats to me and I try to search for the source. My brain pounds but it's only now that I realize that I'm laying on hard marble. My eyes follow the voice across the room to the door and a giant blur stands there. I blink away some of the tears my eyes have wept against my will and the giant blur becomes 5 smaller blurs. I reach my left hand out to them, but my right follows, iron shackles connecting them.

_I'm so tired…_

Pain rips through my body with a fury I can't quite comprehend, and my arm falls to the ground. My knuckles crack against the unforgiving marble, sending fresh signals to my brain but at this point I think it's given up, I'm cold and starting to go numb. The voices I hear now are muffled, no matter how hard I try I can't make out what they're saying, all I can do is lay here and watch the blood drip off my hands.

_I'm going to pass out…if someone doesn't save me…I'll probably die here on this floor…_

My eyes are becoming very heavy, they start to droop against my will, my consciousness is beginning to float away. Suddenly everything comes back, and I'm yanked to my feet; I scream out as the numbness goes away and all I feel is angry pain. My hands are held above me, whoever has me is tall enough to where they can hold the chain and I'll just dangle here. I try to kick to touch the ground before my arms yank out of their sockets, but the other shackles are still there, I feel the blood run down between my toes and just try to be as still as possible. My throat burns now from screaming, each one had reverberated off the old walls. My whole-body spins slightly and I come face to face with the monster again, his breath wreaking of decay. He spins me back toward the blurs that are my friends and my tears fall against my will as I've surely gone past my breaking point. My arms, my legs, my ribs, my face, my whole body; all of it just hurts.

_I'm so weak, so battered, so bruised…so tired…No! I gotta stay awake! Five figures remember…out friends are here to save us!_

I try to focus on them across the room and a sliver of hope makes its way into my heart.

"They came…" My voice is nothing but a harsh whisper as the background voices continue.

_So tired…_

Suddenly I find myself falling forward, and with nothing below me but the marble stairs. I put my hands out to brace myself, but it doesn't help. I land hard on my right hand and start rolling down. I try to protect my head, but it hits almost every step, my legs are wrapped up in the chain that binds them and all I can do is endure until I stop in a bloody heap at the bottom, my head spinning once again.

_It hurts so much…just kill me already…_

Someone cries out, but at this point I'm not sure if it's me. I just lay there and cry silently as the pain continues relentlessly. I feel the air as someone rushes to my side and gently pulls me onto their lap. I cry out a little as they move me because the pain is so intense, that even with them being as careful as they are still manage to hurt me. My cries echo as a hand comes to rest softly on my head as they attempt to soothe me.

"Shhh darling it's okay. We're here now."

_I know that voice…_

I manage to turn my head and look up at my soothers face.

"Ignis…?" My voice is weak and raspy. "It hurts…" His emerald eyes are void of his specs and glassy. I must be in worse shape than I thought.

"Shhh my dear, don't speak, conserve your strength." He pulls something out of nowhere and the area around me explodes into green light.

_His glasses are missing…_

"Iggy…your specs…" I reach up and cup the side of his face noticing that his normally perfect hair is disheveled. "Are you okay?" He looks at me stunned and catches my hand in his as it falls from his face.

"I'm fine love, it's you I'm worried about…now please, rest." A smile forms on his face as he looks at me, but it disappears when he looks away.

I follow his eyes and watch as blurs race around the room occasionally leaving behind holograms of pink and blue. I look back up to Ignis and notice he's wearing an expression I've never seen before. I adjust my arms causing the shackles to rattle, bringing his attention back to me.

_He looks…scared._

One of his hands come up and begin to investigate my bindings, but something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention and I turn just in time to watch Gladio hit the wall with a crack; as he falls I see the imprint the force caused.

"Gladio…" It's only a whisper but Iggy hears it and takes mis eyes away from the lock, we watch Gladdy wipe something off his mouth and struggle to get back up and into the fight. Ignis makes a frustrated noise and continues to watch with helpless eyes.

"Samn!" Suddenly he calls out and I watch as a figure runs our way. When she reaches us, I notice that she's disheveled as well. Her jacket is missing, and her leather pants are torn up. They must have run into something nasty on the way here. "I can't get her bindings undone."

"She doesn't look so good Iggy…" Samn points her Keyblade at me and the tip glows until my chains fall off. I rub at my wrists, they're bloody and bruised and ache with even the slightest touch.

"Yes I know that, but I used my last restorative on her, it'll have to do for now…" Ignis' voice is clipped, and it seems that fear I sensed before may have been him losing his cool. Samn looks down at me with sad crystal blue eyes before reaching down and setting her hand on my shoulder. Despite the look in her eyes she smiles before running back off into the battle.

Ignis turns back to me and since the restorative made me able to sit upright, adjusts his position so I can rest against his shoulder. I watch as Prompto fires off a few shots and dodges an onslaught of pink weapons. Noct warps to a pillar that's still standing away from the monster and takes a second to breathe, but as he does the monster warps to Prompto and lifts him in the air by his neck.

"Prompto!" Ignis shouts from beside me and I watch in helpless horror as my friend kicks for his life. He drops his guns and begins to scratch at the monster to try to escape his death grip, but then…he just goes still. Everyone screams his name as the monster tosses him to the side like a piece of garbage. His body hits the floor and rolls a few feet before laying there lifeless.

_No…_

"Prompto!" I scream and reach for him, trying to crawl my broken body over to him, but Ignis holds me back. I can hear Noct's cries of anguish and the blue blur crashes into the pink one relentlessly. Gladio runs over to check on Prom, I watch helplessly as he checks his pulse and then shakes his head. Something inside me breaks and more tears start to fall as I once again fight desperately to get to him, but Ignis continues to hold me. "Prompto! Prompto!" Gladio kneels down and covers Proms eyes before running and charging at the monster. "Ignis! Let me go! I have to get to him! Prompto!" I feel Ignis put his hands on my shoulders and then suddenly I'm facing him. His eyes are misty and he's holding back tears.

"There's nothing you can do!" He snaps at me and I stop moving, all I can do is stare back at him.

_Prompto…is dead?_

I'm silent for a moment, but the battle rages on around us.

_No…no. That's not right! H-he just needs a Phoenix Down…we gotta have one somewhere! I always did!_

_"_ No! He's not gone! He just needs a Phoenix Down an he'll be fine!" I try to pull away again, but I'm sobbing, and I can barely see through the tears. Ignis pulls me back around again and holds me close to his chest.

"He's gone." I can't stop the tears from flowing and my cries echo throughout the room.

"NO! He can't be! We promised we'd go ride the Chocobos again! Iggy! Tell me it'll be okay! Tell me Prom will be able to see the Chocobos!" I'm not sure if he can understand me through my sobs, but he holds me tight.

"I'm sorry…"

Something flies past us in a blur and crashes into a pillar near us, I turn quickly and can't do anything but watch as the pillar cracks and fall on top of it, crushing it.

"Gladio!" I hear Nocts scream but before it even finishes it gets cut short.

Ignis gasps and his grip loosens. "Noct!" I turn and see that the monster has impaled Noctis against the wall with three weapons, his head hangs low, lifeless.

_No…Gladio…Noct…_

Ignis begins to shake as if it's taking all his being to stay next to me. Samn continues to fight, but at this point she's only dodging and can barely keep up. One of the weapons from Noctis retracts and flies across the battlefield, my breath catches in my throat and I try to scream for her to move.

"Samn, look out!" I reach out to warn her, but I don't even finish my words before it impales her against the opposite wall. I scream again as the monster chases after her to finish the job. Ignis turn me around and holds my head against his chest so I can't watch. I wrap my arms around him and listen as her screams cut off, and something inside me dies.

_I can't breathe…I feel like someone's hand is around my heart, squeezing 'till it pops…it hurts so much…_

My shock dies away as pain ripples through my body, followed by cries of agony, signifying that my creation is dead.

_I can't breathe, it hurts, this is all wrong!_

"It wasn't supposed to be this way! We were supposed to go home! She was supposed to get a happy ending!" I grip his shirt tight and cry into it, but I can hear the monster's footsteps on the marble floor coming our way.

_There's no hope…we're all dead…Prompto…Gladio…Noct…Samn…and we're next._

I slowly stop crying and turn to the monster, his face is ghostly pale, black blood oozes from his dead eyes and purple lips as they curl into a smile, and once again his breath smells of death and decay.

"I'm sorry my dear, but no one's ending is going to be happy." As he speaks more black oozes out. Gently, Ignis moves me and stands, placing himself between me and the monster. "Oh? What's this? Are you going to protect this little harlot?"

"I made a promise to protect Noct with my life, and I failed…the best I can do now is protect her or give my life trying."

"Ignis! No!"

"Then let me rectify your failure." In a flash the monster grabs Ignis by the neck and lifts him into the air.

"NO!" I reach out, but my legs won't move. "Please!" Tears begin to flow as I watch Ignis claw and struggle against the monsters' death grip just like Prompto had. "Just stop! I'll do whatever you want…just please, don't hurt him."

Ignis looks down at me out of the corner of his eye, an with his specs gone it's even easier to see the fear his emerald eyes are soaked in.

"Don't worry my dear, unfortunately he won't feel a thing." I just hear a snap and Iggy's' body falls to the ground, neck twisted at an inhuman angle, eyes void of light.

_No…Ignis…_

I gently reach for him, not able to believe what I'm seeing.

"Now, where were we?" I continue to stare in disbelief but then all at once the monster is in my face, his breath making my stomach churn. "Thank you for serving your purpose my dear, but I'm afraid I no longer have a use for you." His hand shoots out and grabs me by my own neck, I kick and claw and try to scream as he lifts me off the ground. I'm so tired, so bruised, so hopeless, that nothing I'm doing is having any effect and I already have black spots in my vision. I've been screaming so much that I don't have any sound anymore. "Any last words?" He loosens his grip slightly and air shoots back into my lungs leaving me more lightheaded than before. I look around the room at the lifeless bodies of my friends and try once again to struggle free. "No? Oh well." His grip tightens, and I let out one more scream before I jolt upward.

. . .

_I'm screaming and it's dark, I don't know where I am. Someone shads are around my neck, are they my hands?_

Light illuminates the room, chasing away the darkness and bringing with it a familiar face.

"Hey! Hey! You're alright!"

_I know that voice…and that face._

My creation, who was dead only seconds ago stares back at me, her crystal blue eyes full of both concern and fear. Terrified tat what was once dead is now alive I jump back.

"Hey! It's okay. You're okay, we're at the Motel in Longwythe, remember? You're safe here." My screams turn to sobs as the scenes replay over and over in my head. I put my face in my hands and feel her arms wrap around my shaking body. "Shh you're alright, I won't let anyone hurt you…"

_But you were dead!_

"Y-you died!" Through sobs I try to look at her and convey my terror.

"What?"

"H-he killed you, all of you were dead!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

 

"H-he killed you, all of you were dead!"

* * *

 

The door bursts open and all four boys, led by Gladio, run into the room. "What's the matter?!" Ignis rushes to my side and seeing his green eyes full of life makes me throw myself at him. I drape my arms around him and cry into his shirt, not caring about how awkward it is or what anyone thinks.

"She must've had a nightmare, she woke up screaming and had her hands around her throat. 'Musta been pretty bad too 'cause she looked at me like she'd seen a ghost." Samn's explanation seems to satisfy them as Ignis relaxes and runs a bare hand through my hair before putting the other on my back.

"Shh…it's alright, we're all here now, everything will be fine." I turn my head and sniff the tears away, the other boys are not too far away, looking tired and disheveled. Prompto's eyes meet mine and he's a mix of scared and concerned but otherwise alive.

I wipe my face and back off Ignis until I'm back to where I was, Ignis moves with me and continues to rub my back to comfort me.

_You're fine it was only a dream…he won't come for a while and even then, he won't hurt us until the very end…and she'll survive…everyone will…except maybe Noct…_

I finally compose myself and am able to speak. "You must think I'm a giant crybaby…" Gladio scoffs and I glance back up with my vest fake smile I can muster up. "I'm real sorry you had to see that…"

"You okay?" Prompto fidgets, his eyes showing concern.

"Yeah, I am now…just a really bad nightmare." I pull my legs in and cross them as I pull the covers back over myself.

"M'glad to hear that's all it was. We thought someone was trying to kill you in here." Gladio folds his arms across his bare chest.

_Well in a way…someone kinda was…_

"You heard me scream?" Everyone nods as my face heats up with embarrassment. "Oh…"

"Hey, it's okay. Shit happens." For the first time, Noct speaks to me.

"Yeah, Noct is right. Everyone has a scary nightmare or two, no need to make a huge deal out of it." Prompto tries to cheer me up like the literal ray of sunshine he is. I smile and then it hits me that they look disheveled because they're all in their pajamas, which for everyone aside from Gladio, is a t-shirt and sleep pants.

"Um…how early is it…?" Noct groans looking extra tired.

_Oh man…poor Noct, I know he's not a morning person…_

"It's before sunrise." I turn as Ignis answers my question and blush as I take in his early morning appearance. His glasses are on, but his hair isn't styled up like a cockatoo like normal, it's down and swishes sideways increasing his handsome meter ten-fold. He pushes his glasses up onto his nose as Noct sighs.

"And y'know what that means?" He starts walking away toward the door.

"Back-to-bed-time?" I smile, and he turns around.

"Exactly. I like the way you think." He looks at Ignis. "I'll be in our room." Gladio looks at him, puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head.

"I'll go explain what happened to the owner." Iggy nods and Prom Yawns.

"You sure you're okay? 'Cause I didn't sleep well and…"

"I'm fine Prom, go ahead and go back to bed." I smile, and he scratches the back of his head.

"If you're sure…laterz…"

"Laterz Prom." He yawns, waves and then heads out the door behind Gladio.

I sigh feeling miserable, Ignis had stopped rubbing my back when Noct left and the lack of is starting to catch up with me. "I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble Ignis…" I look up at him and he's pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That's quite alright, you've been through an ordeal, I'm not surprised you had a night terror." He sighs tiredly and looks back down at me, causing me to blush.

"Are you gonna go back to bed?"

"No…I normally wake around this time anyway, but if you're sure you're alright I'd like to go make some Ebony and perhaps start on breakfast."

_I bet he's a royal mess without his Ebony…_

"Yeah, I'm good. Go make some." He smiles and rises with a stretch, giving me a slight view of his midriff. My eyes feel like they go wide and if this were an anime back home I'd prolyl get a nosebleed. He places his hands on his hips and pulls my attention back.

"I'll come fetch you when breakfast is done but try to rest until then." I nod trying not to think about his very prominent hip bones.

"Sure."

And with that Adonis-err Ignis leaves the room. Exhausted I sigh and flop back onto the bed.

"You didn't tell them about their deaths…Why not?" Her question is blunt, but it doesn't faze me, I just turn my head to look at her as she sits on her bed.

"No one needs to know how they died…and they probably would have asked who did it, and I can't tell them that…" Her eyes change to understanding.

"Oh…"

"Yeah…" A few silent seconds pass and I look back up at the ceiling.

"You gonna go back to sleep?" I snap my head back to her and stare at her like she's crazy.

"Fuck no!"

_Why would I want to open myself up for more nightmares?_

"Wanna start training early, then?" She seems ready and raring to go, I sigh, knowing she's gonna kick my ass.

"Yeah I guess…" A smile crosses her face and I can't help but think she's gonna enjoy this a little too much.

"Great, I think I saw some bananas or something in the kitchen, why don't you grab one for the both of us and then meet me outside. I just gotta go get some training gear from Ignis first." She stands and changes into 'training clothes' as she talks, which is really just sweats and a tank top, before running out the door. I sigh, sitting all alone.

_My first real day in Eos and not only did I wake all of Longwythe, but my creation is about to beat the shit out of me…what a great start to a day…_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

I sigh as I reach down between the two beds to pull up my backpack.

_I didn’t actually look through when Prom gave it to me, did I? I’d rather not ruin these clothes again…maybe there’s some in here…_

My bag has two big pockets one in the back and one in the middle…there’s two front ones too, but these two are the main ones. Normally I put my books and stuff into the middle and my clothes in the back.

_I should take inventory…_

I sigh again and unzip the middle pocket; giving view to a bunch of my writing and art supplies.

_Okay…what do we have in here? Pencil bag…sketch book…okay…little black notebook…looks like only my minimum tools…Where was I going before I came here? Did I know I was coming here?_

I take out the little black notebook and thumb through it.

_That’s odd…it’s empty…I mean in a way that’s lucky, but I coulda sworn I was halfway through mine…What about my sketchbook?_

I place the little notebook back where it came from and take out my black sketchbook with the spiral on top. I turn it landscape and gently flip the cardboard back before thumbing through that was well.

_This is empty too…what the hell is going on?_

I put it back and get ready to unzip the back pocket.

_Please have some extra clothes. Please have some extra clothes._

I take a deep breath and unzip the pocket, to my surprise a pair of dark grey, men’s, lounge pants are rolled up and sitting on top.

_Well damn…that was lucky…_

I rummage around a bit and find my black sports tank top and my black pullover hoodie, but that’s all.

_Well, guess my luck had to run out somewhere…but at least I got some clothes to change into…_

I pull out the lounge pants and tank top and prepare to get my ass handed to me.

.             .             .

As I walk out of the motel room I’m greeted with the early morning sun as it peaks up over the horizon. I smile as the new dawn dusts over Longwythe, and then it hits me.

_Wow…this is it, I’m really here…_

I take a few steps forward and lean on the small railing that separated me from the concrete that seems to be the parking lot/driveway for this place. As I take it all in my memories of this place come flooding back.

_Longwythe…the pitstop between Hammerhead and Galdin…it doesn’t seem like the most popular place, but for some reason it ended up as my favorite. There’s just a lot here, more than any other pit stop unless it was a major town like Lestallum…not only that but it’s smack dab in the middle so it saved me on gas a few times during the beginning…speaking of…_

I feel a smile cross my face as my eyes land on the Regalia. My stomach growls out of nowhere and I sigh as I take one of the bananas that Samn had asked me to grab out of my pocket and attempt to peel it open. It doesn’t take me long.

_Hmm that’s interesting…_ I take a bite of my potassium breakfast and continue to stare at the regal Regalia. _Even when they’re not being controlled and have free will they don’t change her paint job…I mean I know I left her as is, but that’s because I like the blackish chrome…I’m kinda excited to see what other decisions they’ll make on their own…_

“She’s beautiful ain’t she?” I turn quick, startled, to me left to see Samn standing there, arms full of various weapons.

_I didn’t even hear her come out…I am so screwed…_

I give an uneasy laugh and try to ignore the instruments of my untimely demise in her arms. “The Regalia? Yeah she is.” I look back to the car and then cringe.

_Oh shit! Did the boys say this was the Regalia? Actually, wait, according to them, I’ve never seen her! Fuck! I seriously gotta be more careful!_

Samn catches my mistake and self-scolding and rolls her eyes as she walks down a small set of steps to my left. She sighs.

“C’mon, I found a good spot to spar across the street. It’s mostly flat and at this hour I don’t think the Saberclaws will bother us…”

_You ‘don’t think’? That’s reassuring…_

She leads me across the street and over toward Kenny Crow’s, I take the opportunity to throw away my banana peel and then follow her behind the restaurant then right, behind a small building and some gas or propane tanks.

“Uh…hey…” I finally realize that maybe I should ask if she needs help. “You need help with those?” She lets out a laugh.

“Now that we’re already over here you ask?” I stop dead in my tracks annoyed as she stops up ahead in a clear area.

The ‘training area’ is pretty big, and as she had said, mostly flat, that is aside from the occasional bush or big ass rock. However not a bad place to spar. I look to the left at the big rock formation and a sudden urge to climb to the top grips me.

_Ugh, I really wanna climb that…I don’t think that one is the Adamantoise…I think that’s further North…North? Yeah North. This place is kinda hard to navigate without a minimap…_

I jump, startled again as Samn drops the weapons and they clatter to the ground. “Hmm, so that’s what that looks like.” I look at her confused and annoyed as I start walking again.

“What what looks like?” She opens her palm and makes grabby hands, so I throw her the other banana that’s been chillin’ in my pocket.

“You spaced out, it’s just weird to see someone else do it. Guess you could say I got it from you, huh.” She chuckles as she teases, but I just fold my arms.

“Shut it.”

_I feel like I’m just arguing with myself…_

She peels the banana with ease from the bottom and takes a big bite before speaking. “Alright, you ready to start training?”

_That’s odd…I never wrote how she’d eat a banana…it’s like watching an AI program I wrote in motion and learning, super cool but also creepy as hell._

I shake my head and crouch down to the pile of mess she created by dropping the weapons. Panic strikes as I realize these _aren’t_ training weapons.

“Samn! What the hell! These are the boys weapons! Like from the Armiger! I can’t fight with these, were you planning on killing me?!” She finishes her banana and tosses the peel to the side. “You better pick that up when we’re done.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry _Mom_ , I will.” I feel irritation wash over me.

“Don’t call me ‘Mom’, it weirds me out cause we’re like the same age…Don’t we have anything we can use that won’t instantly kill me?” She sighs and holds out her hand. “I’m sure the Keyblade will hurt just as bad.”

She shakes her head as something begins to materialize in her hand. The shape doesn’t resemble the Keyblade at all, but some kind of baseball bat looking thing. After a minute my brain clicks, and I realize what it’s going to be.

_What? How can she even do that?_

I stare utterly stunned as a struggle bat appears in her hands. She tosses it to me and summons a second one.

“You have got to be kidding me…how?” She shrugs with a smile and stands at the ready. “Really?!”

“Well, you asked if we had anything that wouldn’t instantly kill you.” I look at the struggle bat in my hand and sigh.

_I’m super screwed…_

“You ready to begin?” I get ready to block and nod.

“Ready as I’ll ever be…”

She flashes a smile and then suddenly flies across the field at me, I barely have enough time to shield myself before she’s hitting me with a barrage of attacks. My foot slides back a little and I slide my hand across the bat so that one hand is gripping the hilt and the other is palm open against the top. With each new hit my foot slips more and more.

_Oh no! I’m slipping!_

I look up as she winds up to slice down at me.

_There’s no time_ _to dodge and I don’t know if blocking will work! What do I do?!_

With no other choice I brace myself as she comes crashing down, bringing with her the full force of all her anger and resentment. I can’t stop it and I can’t adjust my footing so when the hit lands I’m sent flying backwards, the bat still in hand.

I hit the ground hard, air rushes from my lungs as I finally roll to a stop. I gasp and cough and try desperately to fill my aching lungs. After a few breaths I’m able to roll over and make it to my knees. The sound of her boots echo behind me and I look down at the mess I’ve become. My clothes are covered with sand and dirt, while my arms are all scratched up from rolling across the ground.

I dust myself off a bit and my hair falls into my face, I swear as I realize I should have put it up before we started. I check my wrist for a hair tie, and then put it up into a lazy bun.

I cough again and spit into the dirt before taking my time standing. As I turn around I see that she’s got another huge grin plastered across her stupid face. She’s tapping the bat on her shoulder, patiently waiting.

I finally get completely upright and dust myself off some more before looking back up. “You done having your temper tantrum?” I wince as I take a step, she shrugs; that damn smile still plastered on her stupid face.

 

             

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! Hey guys sorry it's been so long i was just dealing with a lot of real life stuff and it's kinda hard to write when your wrist hurts so bad you can't hold a pen ^^' But i'm okay and i'm back and Chapter 8 is already in the works so it'll be up faster than normal. Um new stuff that's going on, i just set up a facebook page for all my UnluckyKitty41 stuff so you can come on down and look at art and i'll try to keep up on news and such for each chapter so people can comment that i need to get working again ^^' So leave a like and come on down i'll be waiting.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

 

We trained for what felt like hours, but when Noct and Prompto came out to tell us breakfast was ready I was informed that it had only been one.

Prompto walks next to me as we all head back to the motel. I rub the back of my head as we walk, a new bruise is starting from me smacking it on the ground so many times. The last two times I hit so hard that my lazy bun came undone, so now my hair is not only down, but sweaty and a mess.

"Man, are you okay?" He places a gentle hand on my right shoulder and I wince slightly.

_Oh, that hurts._ He pulls back quickly realizing I'm in pain.

"Yeah, nothing a potion can't fix…" He raises an eye brow and I look away giving an uneasy laugh. "Or at least that's what she keeps telling me…"

I can see Gladio waiting for us just off the motels porch, when we cross the street he sees me and starts laughing.

"Oh, you poor thing. Man, Samn, you don't know how to pull a punch do you?" He turns and walks up the stairs with us. The order is, Samn and Gladio, Prom and I and then Noct behind us. He's only behind us because he had to pick up the weapons we borrowed and return them to the Armiger. Gladio gets to the door first and pushes it open for us, Samn taps him on the arm before entering.

"It's the only way she'll learn." I roll my eyes and then turn as I hear Noct clear his throat from behind me.

"You uh…you got a little…" He trails off as I look to see that he's pointing at my ass and that as of right now, it's more dirt than pants. I stop in my tracks just inside the door and reach back to try my best to dust it off.

"Did I get it?" I can feel the red coming to my face, but I try and act like it's no big deal. Noct puts his hand on the back of his head and looks away blushing.

"Yeah, you're good." He looks back after a sec and folds his arms. "Let's go inside and get you a potion. You look almost as bad as I did when Gladio was training me." A big hand comes down on Nocts shoulder, it doesn't take a genius to know it's Gladio.

"Yeah, when you'd actually show up Princess." Noct pushes his hand off with a smile and I turn to step into the room.

_Having two rooms must have cost them a pretty penn-uh Gil…_

The motel room looks almost identical to ours but with only minor chances. I look up as Ignis emerges from the Kitchen wiping his hands on a towel, when he sees how fucked up I am he gasps in surprise.

"Oh my. You certainly took a beating." He glances to Samn who's sitting on their couch with her hands across the top. "When you said you were going to train her I thought you meant in the ways of each weapon, not beat her to the inch of her life with one." He sighs and puts his hands on his hips as Samn shrugs. "C'mon, let's go into the bathroom, there's a med kit in there."

"Already on it Igster." Prompto comes out of the bathroom carrying a small med kit. "So, where you wanna do this?" Prom smiles and holds the kit above his shoulder like a waiter. I raise my hand slowly.

"Getting my ass handed to me multiple times made me really hungry…so can someone fix me up while I eat?" Prom grins and Ignis turns around to head back into the kitchen, we all trail behind him.

As soon as I step into the kitchen I recognize the smell of eggs and toast. My mouth begins to water as we all crowd around the table.

"Is there a special place I should sit or…?" I stand in front of a spot with a rather plain looking omelet and toast. I turn to Ignis for some direction.

"No, sit anywhere you like. Do you need anything else?" He goes over to the fridge and brings back a pitcher, he comes back over to me and fills my glass with some sort of juice. The sounds of chairs being pulled across the floor echoes as Gladio, Samn, and Noct take their seats.

"No thanks, I'm fine." I slowly turn the chair and lower myself into it, my fresh wounds screaming all the way. I sigh and try my best to gather up all my hair and put it into another lazy bun, so I don't manage to eat it while I eat my normal food.

"Prompto, why don't you hand that to me and eat? I can take care of her injuries." I hear him, but I'm too busy staring at the most beautiful omelet I've ever seen.

I hear the tinking of silverware as everyone else eats their food, but it's just too good looking to eat, I don't want to ruin it.

"You gonna eat or have a staring contest with it?" I look up to see Gladio looking at me, his fork hovering over his plate. Ignis goes back to the kitchen and gets a rag and a bowl of water before coming back I switch between looking at them.

"It's…um…I don't wanna ruin it." I look down to my right where Ignis has set up the med kit and bowl. He looks up at me as he reaches for my pant leg.

"May I?" I nod slowly as he rolls up my pant legs to assess the damage; it's pretty bruised. He puts his hand to his chin as if he's thinking, but then Prompto pulls my attention.

"Oh, I get it." I watch as he pulls out his phone and leans over to take a picture of my food. "There, now you can eat it and not feel bad. I kinda had the same problem when I first had Iggy's cooking, but then I thought of it a different way. Iggy makes all this stuff especially for us, it would be rude for us not to eat it right?" He pauses, and I look from him to my food.

_Well when you put it that way…_

"Yeah…that makes sense Prompto, thanks…" I glance back and watch him put a forkful in his mouth and smile.

"And if you ever feel like that thought doesn't help, let me know and I'll take a picture for you." He talks with his mouth full and it comes out a little muffled, but I look down and begin to cut my omelet, so I don't see the food fly out of his mouth.

"And don't forget you have to eat so you can have energy for training. You were getting better towards the end there, but we still need to cover hand to hand and you need to choose a weapon, so you can earn your own Gil." I look across the table at Samn as she speaks. "We have a long way to go."

"I know…" I take a piece of egg and put it in my mouth.

_Oh wow…I don't normally like eggs, but this is really good! Seems like an Eos version of ham, egg, and cheese._

My jaw begins to ache as I put another bite in my mouth, but then Ignis hands something to me. I put my fork down and take it and look at it closely.

_This is a potion…but they don't know I know that…gotta act stupid…_

"What's this?" I turn the potion over in my hand and pretend to inspect it.

"A potion. To use it, you can either drink it or crush it with your hand. Any capsule like that will work the same way." I look down and a grin appears as I think about the way he accentuated the 'U' in capsule.

I extend my hand a little and grip it tightly, but now tight enough for it to break. "Like this?"

Prompto smiles and sets his fork down. "Yep, now crush it." He lifts his hand and opens and closes his fist as if he's crushing something invisible.

"Okay…" I crush the capsule in my hand and immediately envelope in green light. "Woah!" I jump back a little as parts of my body go numb and I watch the minor injuries on my arms disappear. "That's incredible." I look down at my legs and watch some of the bruises disappear, taking the numbing feeling with it leaving me achy.

"How do you feel?" Ignis pulls the chair to my left behind me and sits in it before applying an ice pack to a bruise on my right shoulder blade where I fell against a sneaky rock…I wince when the ice contacts my skin.

"I-I'm alright, or at least I will be…" Gladio rises to my left and walks behind e to put his plate in the sink. I pick up my fork and continue eating.

"Woa-hohoho, little lady's got some ink." I stop chewing and drop my fork as everyone else stares at me.

_They didn't notice until just now? Oh, that's right they've only seen me with my hair down and my hoodie on, this is the first time I've had my tank on and my hair up isn't it?_

" _You_ have a tattoo?" Prompto and Noct stare at me dumbfounded as Ignis removes the ice pack and dips the rage into the water and starts to clean some dried blood off me.

I shrug painfully as Gladio continues around to put his plate in the sink. "Yeah…?"

Prom stands and walks around to see it, seconds later Noct follows.

"Woah, that's super pretty!" Prompto's enthusiasm calms my embarrassment and I smile a little.

"Thanks…"

"This is some kind of bird isn't it?" I turn my head to see Noct cross his arms, but then back the other way as Ignis rises to empty the nasty water. I look back to Noct as my brain finally catches up and realizes that he's asked me a question.

"Um-yeah, it's a phoenix…" I stutter slightly as they return to their chairs.

"That's super cool! If I were to get something I'd probably get something to do with a Chocobo." Prompto puts his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. I look down at my plate and pick up a piece of toast and try to eat it, but I just stare at it instead.

_I'm not hungry anymore…_

"Oh yeah? I'd probably get something cooler like a sword or something, Chocobos are lame." I laugh as Gladio takes a seat at the island behind Samn with a mug which is assumingly coffee.

"Face it Princess, you wouldn't be able to handle the pain." Noct swings around looking offended.

"I could totally handle it!" He tries to argue as Ignis comes back around and sits next to me. I look to him and the arguing begins to fade away as he smiles at me.

"Rowdy bunch aren't they, I hope it's not bothering you." I can't help but smile back at this glasses wearing cockatoo. He must have styled his hair while we were out training, I'm sure there's a reason that he puts it up the way he does, but I prefer it down. I lean forward with my arms crossed on the table.

"No not at all." I sigh and look over at the boys as the racket returns.

"Ignis! Tell Prompto that Chocobos are lame!" Noct seems dead set on someone agreeing with him and I can see the sadness in Prompto's eyes that his friend doesn't share his love of Chocobos even though in the game, Noct was just as excited to go to the Chocobo farm as Prom.

"I'm actually quite fond of Chocobos." Ignis takes a sip of Ebony to hide his smirk as Noctis groans.

"Ha! See, even Iggy thinks they're cool!" Prom turns to me and seems like he's about to ask my opinion but then stops. "Oh, I forgot! Ya see…Chocobos are these big birds that you can train and ride on. They can swim too, and sometimes there are Chocobo races! Their babies are adorable too! Hey maybe someday we can go to the Chocobo Farm and show you."

"She doesn't want to go to a farm, Prompto, she's a girl." Noct groans again.

_I would totally go to a Chocobo farm for one, and why are you being such a girl, as I recall you were just as excited as Prompto. Maybe he's just acting tough…_

"Actually…that sounds kinda cool, I'd love to go." I smile as memories of Wiz's Chocobo Farm come flooding back and Prom makes 'in your face' movements at Noct.

"Then it's settled! When we get the chance, we'll go see the Chocobos." Prom smiles and crosses his arms victoriously.

Samn gets up with a roll of her eyes and her plate in her hand. Seeing her holding her plate reminds me that I have a half-eaten omelet on mine and I look down at it.

"Are you feeling alright?" I turn to Ignis as he's taking off his glove to check my forehead for a fever. "Hmm you don't have a fever." His hand falls to his lap and I follow it, seeing his pressed pants.

_I've always wondered what his suit is made from, it looks so soft…_

Samn clears her throat and look up completely embarrassed. "I-I'm fine, just not hungry anymore…I'm sorry…it was good though." He smiles softly seeming to either ignore that I was staring at his leg or oblivious to it…probably the former…

"Alright if you say so." He takes a sip of his Ebony and movement catches my eye, I snap my eyes to Samn who stops beside me.

"You ready to get back to it then? We don't have much time to get you trained up, I have to go back to Ravatoh soon." She puts her hands on her hips and awaits my response. I sigh.

"As ready as I'll ever be…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

"So, Iggy says that they'll be going on hunts for most of the day, so they won't be around. It's alright though 'cause we have more training to do. He did say, though that if we get to it you can try these." Samn holds up a lance in one hand and two daggers in the other. "Said these are his spares." I nod as she sets them on the ground near us.

The sun isn't at it's peak yet, but it definitely has warmed up and gotten brighter. Samn pulls a pair of fingerless back gloves from her back pocket and slides them over her thin fingers.

"So, before we start there's a few things you should know about this world." I'm still wearing the same clothes, and I put my hands in my pockets. "The second thing? Gravity works a bit different…it's hard to explain, but it feels lighter. I'm not sure though if it's me or if this place actually has less gravity. It also could be because of the mana in the air…honestly I haven't figured it out."

_Hmm…I've never heard any of that before…_

I take my hands out of my pocket s and hop in place a little. I never noticed it before, but it's slightly easier.

"Now you can take advantage of this if you can learn magic." She claps her hands together with a smile. "Aero!" Suddenly a vortex of air appears and encircles her, then slowly she begins to rise off the ground.

_Woah! Wait! What the hell?! How can she do magic without the Keyblade out?_

"Hey…how are you doing tat without having the Keyblade out?" She smiles and descends as Aero fades.

"Dunno…I just can. I think it's the way this world is…like I said before, there might be mana in the air."

_Hmm 'Mana in the air' So like MP in the air…? But I've never heard anything about that…hmm, that would explain why MP replenishes within time._

I sigh and run a hand through my bangs. "Okay, so then does hand to hand require me to learn magic as well?" She nods.

"So, here's my theory." She shifts her balance and I fold my arms. "We were brought here for who knows what reason, on arrival you got sick because the bacteria here is different from your home world; your body basically freaked out and thought you had the plague. I had the protection of the Keyblade, but you…not so lucky. The only reason you're okay now is because your body finally figured out what's malignant and what's benign…plus you ate the food here which might have sped up the process." She takes a breath and sighs it out, I smile softly.

_And there it is…her secret wisdom, the reason she'll be okay after all this._

"If my theory is correct, your body should have converted or at least adjusted to this world. Honestly, I'm just guessing though, 'cause like I said, I didn't have this problem, so I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that your body should be different now and with the amount of mana in the air you should be able to perform magic."

"Oh…cool, but where do I ever start?" I sigh, and a wicked grin crosses her face.

"Well first things first, you gotta learn how to dodge.

. . .

Unlike our first session, Samn actually takes the time to explain the basics of hand to hand and how not to get the shit kicked out of me. She carefully explains how to block, when to parry, how to strike and when, and how to know when to get the fuck outta the way. When it was time to spar I ended up using that information a lot. She would come at me fast, but then at the last minute would jump up and flip in the air and then come back down and punch the ground where I had previously been standing. It only took me getting hit by that twice to know the tells and get out of the way; an of course this time, I remembered to put my hair up tight.

Samn runs up at me and I put my arms up to protect my already aching face. She punches left, straight, left hook, right hook, jab, jab; I dodge them all up into the last one where I lose my footing a little and she manages to graze me.

_Stupid ground, stupid boots, stupid Samn!_

I feel anger well up inside me as she starts up again, barely giving me time to recover. Left jab, right hook, left jab, jab again.

_Stupid! Mother-!_

I grit my teeth and jump to the right, it catches her off guard and as I come down I right hook, catching her right in the face. She recoils hard and hits the ground with a loud thud and audible gasp. I jump back and wait for the inevitable backlash she's about to dish out. My breathing becomes slightly labored as I begin to realize how tired I really am.

She sits up from being sprawled out on the ground and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand revealing a bit of blood. She looks up at me, her eyes unreadable, and I tense up, but she sighs.

"Relax…I'm not gonna hit you back…that was good, let's just…take a break."

_Oh, thank god…_

I drop my guard and sigh before flopping down in front of her, my breathing still heavy. I spread my legs out to form a 'V' and place my hands palm down on the dirt behind me. My gaze goes from the sky to her as I try to calm my raging pulse.

I cringe slightly as I see her rub her face. "How's the face?"

_I feel horrible, but at the same time I feel like she was really trying to hit me_.

She sighs, basically telling me 'it hurts'. "It was a good punch, I just wish I had seen it coming." She looks up at the sky, squints and then looks back at me. "What'dya say we take a break for lunch and then you can try some real weapons?"

I stare at her, surprised. "You really think I'm ready for that?" She shrugs.

"You're a fast learner and you managed to deck me in the face, so I think we might as well give it a try. I wanted to take you on a hunt tomorrow…" She pulls her knees up and leans forward, I sigh seeing no alternative.

"Yeah, I guess so…" My stomach growls as if it knows we're talking about lunch.

"You wanna hit up the Crow's Nest?" She stands up in one quick motion and stretches her arms behind her head, I look up and smile softly.

_Only if you wish to put on weight…That would have been Iggy's response to Prompto if he had said that…but really…Kenny Crow's? I'm not a fan of fish, but I kinda wanna try their food before I leave this place…if I can ever leave this place…_

She extends her hand down and I squint against the sun. "Y'know what? Yeah, let's go." I take her hand and she yanks me to my feet. I dust my butt off and wipe my sweaty bangs back with my hand. "Man, I cannot wait to take a shower, I feel caked in all sorts of nasty shit."

She laughs and reaches down to pick up the lance and daggers; within seconds of touching them they disappear like the Keyblade would have. "C'mon let's get going before one of us keels over." I laugh as I follow her past the gas tanks, small building/shed and around a truck parked in Kenny's parking lot until finally were standing in front of it. The old Kenny Crow sitting on the bench in front of it catches my eye and I laugh again.

_If the boys were here, Prompto would totally beg until one of us sat next to that thing…even though…it's totally nightmare fuel…_

Samn jogs up the few steps into Kenny's and with the door wide open to the midday heat I follow easily.

"Welcome Ladies, what can I get for ya?" The man behind the counter seems nice, but plain in his red apron and blue hat. I glance around and despite it being lunch time, the place is kinda empty.

I look up at the boards above the counter, "Crow's Nest Diner, the nest you can always fly back to'. I smile and turn to the second one which is the actual menu.

_Let's see…Kenny's Fries, Kenny's Salmon, Jettys…for drinks they got…coffee, Ebony coffee, café latte, black tea, orange juice, and draft beer._

_"_ I'll have Kenny's Salmon and an Orange Jettys if ya got it." I snap back down to Samn as she swings around on the bar stool.

_Ugh I don't want fish…fries it is…_

"Alright, and what about you?" The cook turns to me as I sit down gently on a stool.

"Ah…Kenny Fries…and an Orange Jettys I guess." The man behind the counter smiles and rips the piece of paper off his pad with our order and hangs it up above the grill with a magnet. I watch him briefly as he goes to the fridge and gets out a bag of frozen fries and dumps them in the basket and lowers it into the oil with a sharp hiss, but then he moves away again, and I decide to look around the old diner.

Old red and stainless-steel stools line the bar, Samn and I in toward the middle. Behind us, booths with the same color scheme line the wall. By the door there's some kind of arcade game and the bathroom seems to be over there too.

Suddenly, the smell of fried fish hits my nose along with the smell of my fries and I begin to feel slightly nauseous.

_Not a fan of fish…this is just like that 50's restaurant in the mall back home where you get heart disease just by walking by._

The man behind the counter, who doesn't seem to even have a name tag, walks away again toward a fridge for a minute then comes back with two bottles of orange something-or-other, he then comes back and sets them in front of us.

"It's not often people ask for flavored Jettys" He puts both hands on the counter and smiles.

I pick up my bottle and examine it; there's nothing special about it other than being called Jettys, it looks like any other glass bottle of soda I've had. Samn looks at me and then pops the top off with her palm in one quick motion, then extends her glass for 'cheers' as the man behind the counter chuckles and spins back around to continue cooking whatever is making that horrible smell.

I roll my eyes and fight the smell as I 'clink' my glass to hers and then twist my cap off and place it gently on the counter. She puts hers to her lips and put's it back like she would a beer. When she finally puts it down there's a third missing, I lift mine up and sip it, warry of the taste.

_This is made with real sugar, I can tell…it's actually not so bad…_

I sip it again, but make sure to save some for my fries, however out of the corner of my eye, I see her staring at me. I put the bottle down and turn to her. "What?"

"Sooo, whatcha think?"

_I think you're staring at me like some five-year-old stares at their parent who's holding their latest macaroni portrait..._

"Um…it's good, made with real sugar, I think. Reminds me of an orange soda I used to drink when I was a kid at this old Chicken place." She nods and sops hers again as the smell really starts to get to me. "Hey…uh…listen, do you mind if I wait outside? The smell of fish…" Her eyes go wide for a minute.

"Oh no, go ahead, I'll bring it out when it's done, no worries." She smiles as I take my bottle, slide off the stool, and head for the open door.

As I step out into the fresh air, the midday sun beats down on me, making me move quickly to the benches with the creepy Kenny Crow which have some cover for my pasty white self. I sigh as I sit down and glance to the right, bottle hanging loosely in my hands. There's a small grocery truck over there now, with an umbrella propped up against the sun. There's a girl sitting in a plastic lawn chair under it and she waves to me with a smile.

"Sure, is hot today isn't it?" I'm not ready for her to talk to me so I just stare and wave awkwardly for a second.

"Uh, y-yeah…I guess it is, isn't it?" Whether my face is giving off heat because of impending sunburn or embarrassment I'm not sure.

"I run this little shop, so if you need anything let me know. If I don't have it, I'll try to get it for you." She smiles, and I nod in response.

_Helpful._

"O-okay…thanks." She smiles and lefts up a book from her lap and starts to read.

_Well that was awkward…_

I sigh and lean back into the bench, resting my head on the top part and closing my eyes as I try to listen to the sounds of Longwythe.

_I wonder what the boys are doing…I feel bad that they have to go on a hunt to pay for my room…I'll have to find some way to pay them back…and then there's Samn…what in this world could cause someone to lose all of their memory from here…could it be something Ardyn will do? Or perhaps some type of daemon like a Mindflayer? I'll have to keep watch…she'll have a better life after this…_

"Yooouu, okay?" I open my eyes, startled, as Samn stands in front of me with two to-go boxes in her hands and her glass bottle under her arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking…" I slide over, (away from Nightmare Kenny) and she hands me a box before sitting down beside me (on the Kenny side). I open my box to find it full of Kenny Fries and a small sauce cup with what I hope is ketchup; I raise it suspiciously and Samn laughs.

"It's ketchup, relax." I nod and take the top off before dipping a fry and popping it into my mouth.

_Not bad Kenny, not bad._

Out of the corner of my eyes I see her open her container, but to my shock it's not Kenny's Salmon, but a burger.

"What is that?" She raises her burger to her mouth but stops and stares at me bewildered.

"A burger?" I can see the wheels turning in her mind. "Oh! After you left he said that the Salmon went bad and his truck won't get here till tonight, but he had some burger patty's left, so he made me one." I nod acceptingly.

"I didn't know they served regular food too." She nods as she takes a bite seeming to like the flavor because she closes her eyes and 'mm's'

_That good huh?_

She sets it back down and takes a sip of Jettys while I snack on my fries. "Yeah, they have a normal plastic menu that it's on, sorry I thought you knew for some reason. If you want to go back for dinner we can ask Iggy, but he probably already has something in mind, or will say no to save money." I sigh and pop another fry into my mouth with Ketchup on one end.

_Yeah that sounds like him…but the boys shouldn't have been on their journey for very long yet…how does she know them so well already? Seems to me like they are still on their way to Galdin…_

You're doing it again…" I take a sip of my drink, confused.

"Doing what?"

"Spacing out…what's on your mind?" She smiles softly, and I drop the fry I was gonna eat into my box and sigh.

"Lots of stuff…like this place, the boys, you, training, how we're gonna get home…I don't even know how you know them so well…" She takes another bite and smiles, mouth closed. She only speaks after she swallows.

"I understand…but I can answer that for ya, it's actually pretty simple. They ran out of gas close to Hammerhead and I just happened to be out there on a hunt so when I saw four boys in black pushing that nice a car I stopped to see what's up and ended up hitching the Regalia up to my truck and brought them to Cid, as you can imagine I was a bit shocked that Noct is a prince and on his way to his wedding, but in my line of work, shit happens. I got over it pretty quick and we just kinda hung out while Cindy fixed up the car and ran a few errands for Takka to get some Gil to pay for repairs." I smile remembering what happened when I played.

"Old Cid did 'teach them there boys a lesson', didn't he?" She looks at me surprised, but then it fades; I know what I did, but it seems like if I say stuff around her pertaining to past events that she doesn't care.

"Yeah, yeah he did." She leans back, and I notice her burger's mostly gone, but she seems done. I look down at my fries and sigh, full as well.

The sun is still high in the sky and the temperature seems to be rising, at some point I'll have to find some sunblock…I put the top back on my fries and set it beside me and lean forward, my elbows on my knees, my head in my hands. Samn moves and I glance at her.

"Ya done?" She slaps her hands on her knees and stands up as I nod. "Time to get back to it then." I groan inwardly and look around for a trash can as I stand, fries are no good cold and soggy anyway…

She leads me around to the other side of the entrance door where a trash can shaped like Kenny Crow is waiting, mouth open and ready to eat our trash. "Yep…I was right, nightmare fuel…" She laughs as we dump out trash and I take the last sip of my glass bottle orange soda before dropping it in the recycling bin next to Kenny the Nightmare Trash Can.

Samn looks to me ready and raring to go, "You ready for some real weapons?" I sigh knowing this will hurt.

"No, not really, but let's go."


End file.
